Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: FEBRUARY 6, 2024
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY
SUBMITTED BY: stephen Bise, public works director
PREPARED BY: david grantham, CITY ENGINEER
JUAN ZAVALA, PRINCIPAL CIVIL ENGINEER
SUBJECT: RAYMOND AVENUE GRADE SEPARATION – POST-CONSTRUCTION STREET RIGHT-OF-WAY RECONFIGURATION
SUMMARY
Designate City-owned land for street right-of-way and public utility purposes and abandon unneeded roadway and public utility easements associated with the completed Raymond Avenue Grade Separation Project.
PROPOSED MOTION
Authorize City Manager, on behalf of the City of Fullerton, to execute Easement Deeds for street right-of-way and public utility purposes in, on, under and over real property utilized for construction of East Valencia Way, new segments of East Valencia Drive, South Raymond Avenue and Truslow Avenue in the City of Fullerton.
Adopt the following resolutions:
RESOLUTION NO. 2024-XXX - A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING A SUMMARY VACATION ABANDONING 7,705 SQUARE FEET OF SURPLUS STREET RIGHT-OF-WAY OVER A PORTION OF TRUSLOW AVENUE REALIGNED AS PART OF THE RAYMOND AVENUE GRADE SEPARATION PROJECT RESOLUTION NO. 2024-XXX - A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING A SUMMARY VACATION ABANDONING A 3,080-SQUARE-FOOT PORTION OF THE PUBLIC ALLEY LOCATED WEST OF SOUTH RAYMOND AVENUE AND NORTH OF TRUSLOW AVENUE REALIGNED AS PART OF THE RAYMOND AVENUE GRADE SEPARATION PROJECT RESOLUTION NO. 2024-XXX - A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA, APPROVING A SUMMARY VACATION ABANDONING A 1,440-SQUARE-FOOT PORTION OF THE PUBLIC ALLEY LOCATED EAST OF SOUTH RAYMOND AVENUE AND NORTH OF ASH AVENUE REALIGNED AS PART OF THE RAYMOND AVENUE GRADE SEPARATION PROJECT
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
Approve Proposed Motion
Other options brought by City Council.
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends the Proposed Motion.
CITY MANAGER REMARKS
None.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statement:
Infrastructure and City Assets.
FISCAL IMPACT
No fiscal impact to execute easement deeds and summary vacation. The street right-of-way dedication would add public improvements to the city street inventory, making the City liable for maintenance and associated costs which staff would factor into future year budgets.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Background
The City and Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) completed the Raymond Avenue Grade Separation project in 2018. State and OCTA funds fully funded the project, including subject parcel acquisition, with no City of Fullerton match required.
The project required street right-of-way reconfiguration, including new street construction (East Valencia Way) and Truslow Avenue and Raymond Avenue widening realignment to provide access to properties affected by the Raymond Avenue Grade Separation Project and to install grade separation improvements. Staff attached pre- and post-construction aerial views of the Raymond Avenue Grade Separation project for reference (Attachment 4).
The City had initial responsibility for the right-of-way phase of the project and acquired three parcels west of Raymond Avenue between Truslow and Walnut Avenues. The City requested OCTA assistance in 2012 and OCTA took the lead in the right-of-way phase implementation. OCTA then acquired several parcels, including land needed for street right-of-way reconfiguration, public utility easements, land for the storm drain pump station and other miscellaneous easements. OCTA has transferred all acquired parcels to the City except the surplus segment of land between Raymond Avenue and East Valencia Way (Attachment 5).
Discussion
The City owns in-fee land parcels located within project construction limits as a result of real property acquisition and transfer. East Valencia Way and new segments of East Valencia Drive, South Raymond Avenue and Truslow Avenue have no right-of-way designation for street and public utility purposes. The proposed action would designate City-owned land for street right-of-way and public utility purposes (Attachment 6), correctly delineate and identify the segments as streets on the Assessor Map and formalize the public right to use these segments for intended purposes, including vehicular and pedestrian circulation (Attachments 7 through 14).
City Council Resolution No. 2023-088 (Attachment 15) declared East Valencia Way as a new street pursuant to Street and Highways Code Chapter 1806, added it to the list of city streets and assigned maintenance liability to the City.
The City should abandon easements for roadway and public utilities over a segment of Truslow Avenue, unneeded segments of public alley north of Truslow Avenue west of South Raymond Avenue and north of Ash Avenue east of South Raymond Avenue (Attachments 1, 2 and 3) to finalize the street reconfiguration. Staff finds summary vacation of these easements appropriate pursuant to Street and Highways Code Sections 8334 through 8336. The City may process a summary vacation abandoning the subject easement as street realignment and relocation of public utilities has superseded the abandonment. The City is the underlying in-fee property owner and subject segments will remain city-owned land without street and/or alley overlay.
The street right-of-way dedication over East Valencia Way and new segments of East Valencia Drive, South Raymond Avenue and Truslow Avenue will add 99,524 square feet of public improvements to the city street inventory making the City liable for maintenance and associated costs. Removing 12,225 square feet of unneeded segments of Truslow Avenue and alley right-of-way would partially offset the additional costs.
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed this matter including attached dedication deeds, Summary Vacation Resolution and quitclaim deeds.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Draft Resolution (Surplus Roadway and Public Utilities Easement) Attachment 2 – Draft Resolution (West of South Raymond and North of Truslow) Attachment 3 – Draft Resolution (East of South Raymond and North of Ash) Attachment 4 – Pre- and Post-Construction Aerial Views Attachment 5 – Parcel Ownership Map
Attachment 6 – Right of Way Reconfiguration Map
Attachment 7 – Easement Deed Valencia Connector (East Valencia) Attachment 8 – Easement Deed East Valencia
Attachment 9 – Easement Deed Truslow
Attachment 10 – Easement Deed SW Corner of Raymond / Valencia Connector Attachment 11 – Easement Deed SE Corner of Raymond / Walnut Attachment 12 – Easement Deed Raymond between BNSF and Truslow Attachment 13 – Easement Deed NW Corner of Raymond / Walnut Attachment 14 – Easement Deed Raymond north of Ash
Attachment 15 – City Council Resolution No. 2023-088
cc: City Manager Eric J. Levitt
Raymond Avenue Grade Separation - Post-Construction Street Right-of-Way Reconfiguration February 6, 2024 - Page 3